Movies-TV

Again another classic-style entry

Now, I have said before that starting with "Arabian Nights" in 1994, Scooby cartoons became crap, with some exceptions (like "Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost" and "Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!"). But "Scooby and the Legend of the Vampire" of 2002 is very, very good compared to "What's New Scooby-Doo." Despite that and "Monster of Mexico" being produced at Warner Bros. Animation rather than Hanna-Barbera, this is a nice follow-up to the vampire one. Again, we have the old voice cast (complete with Heather North and Nicole Jaffe,) the old Hanna-Barbera sound FX, the remakes of the 1968-1973 Scooby underscore, the original outfits, etc. The animation is crisp and smooth, and almost matches the high-quality animation of the first four direct-to-video Scooby-Doo films, and is much better than the bad animation of "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" and the even worse animation of "Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!" This adds more charm to the cartoon, and the Mexican music is fun, especially the eerie Latin American violins and handclaps that accompany the opening credits. Overall, the nice animation and retro format make this and "Legend of the Vampire" seem like they were done at Hanna-Barbera and not WB!

Very, very weak

Back again in the brand new slicker animation form, the Mystery Inc gang head down to Mexico to visit Fred's e-mail pal but get caught up in the Chupacapra mystery as said beast begins terrorising the locals. It's not very good as the plot is practically discarded in favor of endless running around scenes and over-indulgence in set pieces.The recent Scooby Doo feature-length animations have had decent stories, nice atmospheres and a couple red-herrings. It's very post modern and has certainly help revamp the franchise. But Monster of Mexico feels very dated and 60's. The gang are back wearing their old clothes instead of the modern gear they wore in the first four animated movies.The ending is no surprise and completely unsatisfying. I don't like it. I wish for the next one to be a little more sophisticated. I mean children are intelligent and they deserve intelligent entertainment. Monster of Mexico may have been okay back in the 60's but in the modern day it's quite poor.The DVD has a great 1.33:1 picture and a rather good Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The extras are rubbish apart from the commentary by Shaggy and Scooby which is actually a really neat touch. I was excited at the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman trailer featured here but it's 20 seconds long and shows you nothing. What's the point?

Terrific Scooby Doo Movie

I got this for my 3 year old SD fan. He loves it and has enjoyed it consistently over the many times he's viewed it. The plot may be a little thin for the older set, the chase scene was pretty wild and out-in-left-field, but the animation, music, and portrayal of Mexican culture was great.

What matters most is, it's kids movie and my kids love it. If your child or children are rabid Scooby Doo fans like mine, this is a worthwhile investment.

Arriba!

This movie really get people dancing. Scooby and the gang are heading out to Mexico. Where there will be a Fiesta, that gets spoiled by a chupacabra(Goat sucker). To me, this creature resemble the Jaguaro, and I think they oughta done better. The adventure beings all good, and nothing seems to be lost in every way. A little lady dog seem to have eyes for Scooby. However, any lady dog will take Scooby seriously. The other cast like Charlene was a shady character from the beginning. She was always spilling the beans, coffee beans to be exact. And the robot characters in the theme park had all the tourists fooled. When everything went well, it was back to the fiesta, and who would know that Shaggy would take the lead. Just like any other Scooby-Doo cartoon, this movie is still the gem. You can learn some Spanish, solve along with the gang, and eat. I don't care what the critics think, I enjoyed this movie from day one! Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A Weaker Addition

Back again in the brand new slicker animation form, the Mystery Inc gang head down to Mexico to visit Fred's e-mail pal but get caught up in the Chupacapra mystery as said beast begins terrorising the locals. It's not very good as the plot is practically discarded in favor of endless running around scenes and over-indulgence in set pieces.

The recent Scooby Doo feature-length animations have had decent stories, nice atmospheres and a couple red-herrings. It's very post modern and has certainly help revamp the franchise. But Monster of Mexico feels very dated and 60's. The gang are back wearing their old clothes instead of the modern gear they wore in the first four animated movies.

The ending is no surprise and completely unsatisfying. I don't like it. I wish for the next one to be a little more sophisticated. I mean children are intelligent and they deserve intelligent entertainment. Monster of Mexico may have been okay back in the 60's but in the modern day it's quite poor.

The DVD has a great 1.33:1 picture and a rather good Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The extras are rubbish apart from the commentary by Shaggy and Scooby which is actually a really neat touch. I was excited at the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman trailer featured here but it's 20 seconds long and shows you nothing. What's the point?

Scooby So-So

My 4 yr old is in love with Scooby, so we own practically every DVD. He did enjoy watching it, but he hasn't picked it out as his favorite.

one of our favorites

One of the best scooby do movies. My kids like this one and the Lochness monster the best.

Great Movie!

My child has watched this again and again. This is a great movie and is a must for all Scoobie Doo fans.

Finally, a Good Scooby-Doo movie

I've been a fan of Scooby-Doo since about 1978 and I have recently been very unhappy with how Warner Bros. has seemed to destroy everything Hanna Barbera made so great. Hanna Barbera cartoons have always had a certain feel to them, that was very distinguishable from a Warner cartoon, but since Ted Turner merged with Aol the Scooby franchise has seen some rough times. Finally, and being a hardcore fan, I can say Finally they have made a good Scooby movie. While I will always favor the darker, more stark look of the first three series, this atleast has a Scooby feel and plot. The last movie they put out, Legend of the Vampire, was so misguided it became boring. This movie, though, has a great feel...and i will even overlook the fact the main monster is a rip off of the old Jaguara!!! Enjoy the movie Scooby fans, my guess is Warner got more lucky than anything else.

Scooby Doo Rocks

This New Scooby-Doo movie rocks. The plot is great! Scooby even gets a little romance in Mexico, with a chiwuawau. You get to see into the individual houses of the Mystery Inc. gang and they chat together. The characters are all voiced by the original cast members except for Scooby who is voiced by Frank Welker. The mystery has a few little twists, but not as many and so confusing as Legend of the Vampire. Daphne even gets captured, which I really liked because that is like classic Scooby. There is even a gag reference to Legend of the Vampire when they run by a theater which is showing the movie. This movie is worth buying.

A Decent Reunion At Best

The best way to begin is to show you where I stand. I think "Zombie Island" and "The Witch's Ghost" were excellent. I didn't much care for "Alien Invasion" or "Cyber Chase." I thought "The Legend of the Vampire" was a surprisingly good return to form. Onto chapter six. I can't really say this is one of Scooby's better movies. It kind of lacks the punch and surprises of "Zombie Island" and "The Witch's Ghost." Instead of the scarey surprises seen in the first two movies, this 6th chapter seems to rely more on silly chases. (But if you like the original episodes, you probably won't mind that so much.) Also, in my opinion, the script is weaker which means the movie seems very long and drawn out. ("Zombie Island" and "Witch's Ghost" don't seem to have many dull moments at all.) And, I won't say too much here, but when the mystery is uncovered and you really didn't get to know the culprit in the first place, a certain edge is missing. (In "Zombie Island" and "Witch's Ghost," we got to know the culprits very well in the 1st half of the movie, and therefore, there was a scarey sense of recognition when the plots were uncovered. The main reason I can give to watch this movie is that it was at least nice to the original line up from the early cartoons (Casey Kasem-Shaggy, Frank Welker-Fred, Heather North-Daphne, and Nicole Jaffee-Velmah) together again. The movie is worth some interest, but it's more of a long episode. If you like Scooby, this movie is watchable. But, don't expect the terror, intensity, and suspense of "Zombie Island," "The Witch's Ghost," or even "Legend of the Vampire."

Don't listen to robertcrabtree's review

Yeah, this really is a great movie! I'm a HUGE fan of the series
and let me say, Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico is NO dissapointment to the series.

RENT THIS MOVIE

I love scooby so a wise word of advice: RENT THIS MOVIE. You will fall in love with it for a while and then never watch it again. I still love this movie but i can tell that most people would get bored after a little.

Another Fascinating Locale Offers Tricks and Treats for All

The Scooby-Doo movies of recent years have been generally warmly welcomed in our household. They tend to be of two schools: 1) more silly than serious, low on mystery, and catering to a young audience (Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School or Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf come to mind) and 2) more serious than silly, emphasizing mystery, and catering to an older audience (Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island or Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders come to mind). My wife and I enjoy Scooby-Doo and watch it with our children, but we try to stay away from the sillier films. This movie, Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico, looked to be of the more serious variety, so we bought it. Here are my thoughts:

The Animation: The first thing I noticed was that the movie opens with some nice animation eye-candy. (Generally, key scenes seem to begin with some startling visual, such as rippling water or flickering flames.) I thought the quasi-3D animation was a nice change from that seen on some of the previous Scooby-Doo movies.

The Plot: It is a more serious film: Fred's friends from Mexico are being terrorized by a monster of local legend prior to the Day of the Dead. Is the monster real or the fabrication of criminal minds? What differentiates this from the standard Scooby-Doo plot is the emphasis on the Mexican culture. Local customs (i.e. Day of the Dead) are introduced and explained. The folks in the Mexican village are treated respectfully. The gang and the audience learn some Spanish. This intimacy with the culture makes the monster's threat more significant. You do care what happens to Fred's friends and their neighbors. Initially, the plot seemed rather weak: the first half of the film deals with tracking a monster and the second half deals with the mystery. I wanted more mystery, but it seemed to take the gang a long time to realize that some detective work was required. Upon reflection, I see that the pacing was deliberate to allow the locals to contribute significantly to the gang's detective work; it's a group effort.

The Problem: I enjoyed this movie until the obligatory chase scene, which grew increasingly incredible. I thought I had the mystery all figured out--I was disappointed that I was way ahead of Velma so soon--and then found myself confused by the strange events occurring during the chase. Although all is explained later--and more satisfactorily than in Legend of the Vampire--I thought it was too over-the-top. It didn't help that the accompanying song grew rather tedious. Also, it made the movie feel too long.

Overall: I enjoyed this movie, especially its respect for Mexican culture and the Mexican characters, which, not being dumbed down, reacted normally toward some of the weird events, especially near the end. I dislike the obligatory chase scene, but I realize that this is for the young audience (my son loved this part). I would have preferred more mystery, but it does play out rather naturally. Considering the reactions of both myself and my children, I recommend this latest installment in the Scooby-Doo movie series. Although it has its flaws, I think it makes for a pretty good time. Adults will like it, and kids will probably love it.

Not the best... or the worst

This movie had a lot going for it. The voice cast, sound effects and smoother animation felt more like the original Scooby Doo and I appreciated the classic feel. I really liked that Scott Innes was not voicing Shaggy. Velma is good for relating some good Mexican history. The behind-the-scenes, blooper reel and cast commentary on the DVD are great! There were definitely parts where the plot was interesting and a lot of vintage Shaggy/Scooby comedy that made us all laugh.That being said, the plot didn't hold together very well for me. Somewhere in the middle, things get a little TOO confusing and far-fetched, even for Scooby. The story seems to slow down and then jump ahead making the movie lurch along awkwardly. Daphne's voice seems slow and... old! The dialog really dragged in parts. The extra characters didn't have much personality or add interest to the movie, they were just... there.Overall the movie was OK and my kids enjoy it now and then. Not the greatest... but pretty good.

Scooby-Doo is a child's video hero.

I, for one, am glad that they keep making Scooby-Doo movies. The old stuff is still fun to watch and the new ones are great for me and my nearly 3 year old son. I have to admit though, El Chupacabra from this movie and the ghosts from The Boo Brothers is scary for my son to watch at nighttime so I don't offer it as a choice at night. In this day and age of foul mouths and violence on TV, I am glad to offer Scooby-Doo as a choice for my son.

Vera Cruz and Mexico City Views by Scooby and the Gang

We (spouse and children and I) just viewed this DVD tonight and are extremely pleased. The familiar "bad-guy-caught-at-the-end" format is used as well as the typical Scooby Doo format of mishaps with the Mystery Machine, food-hungry Scooby & Shaggy, red herrings, ballads, etc. plus a very mild love-interest for Scooby. The clothes and vocals are just like the original series, too.

What really caught our attention was the similar style to the original televsion series when Scooby and the gang visited various locations and learned things about the places they visited. Having visited Vera Cruz and Mexico City, we were struck by the similarities with the cartoon animation of Vera Cruz and Mexico City. We were also pleased to see Mexico/Mexicans portrayed in a positive way rather than as sterotypes.-There is even some basic Spanish used in a way to educate youngsters.

The cupacabra (evil monster/ goatsucker) which frightened tourists from Vera Cruz was a bit dated, but caused us to recall the scare which griped Mexico a few years ago.

We liked the voices and animation and were pleased to see the familar format of catching the bad guys in the end ("those meddeling kids"...) unlike some other recent Scobby DVD's where the monsters/witches are real. The cultural nuances and theme of "things are not always the way the seem" was also educational.

The only negative about this DVD is that the languages are English and French with Spanish available only in subtitles. One would think the title would suggest a DVD with vocals in Spanish...

movies is madness

Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico is an entertaining movie for children. For young children I recommend parental supervision for the scary parts. My Daughter Julia was watching a Scooby Doo movie and then went to play a video game on the computer saying tell me when the monsters come back in the movie Daddy. Children are tougher than some parents realize. To my real Daughter in a real Moonfleet orbiting Earth Yahweh Apophis greetings and Loving salutations as the Roman Empire leaders used to say to each other. You are a remarkable thinker but I would still love you no matter what you were like my Daughter. Robot Number 5 sounds really neat and probably has my other real daughter on Earths Julias artificial Intelligence computer. Incredibly this is the fifth highest ranking Robot in the Universe. Any idiots that attack our Creators Moonfleet with nukes need professional Psychiatric help. Do not Worry Yahweh Apophis you are safe because even I the American Shadow Vice President do not know exactly where in the Moonfleet you and your 107 clone Sisters are. I consider you all to be my Daughters and A Pal Sneezy Morgan and his 7 clone brothers to all be my loved Sons loved ones as well. As Kennedy aye mutts always remain loyal to the Creator Stealth Seti the Et alien and Memphis Jack Kennedy the top Care Rank Ki or Kennedy Aye mutts as they are also known. Remember that your DNA sequences are eternal and that it is possible to have a good time serving a Creator who even cares about the survival of his Forward Observation Officers. I remember the trip to Earth on Apollo 16 fondly. We came mostly in Peace for all Mankind. Thank you to IMDb for supporting freedom of speech like the kind that President George W Bush and I support. Support IMDb.

Scooby Doo Flies High

Kids loved this one. Catchy music, lovely Mexican setting, several character who seem "suspicious" when scary things start happening. The flying statues scene from the ruins kind of confused my kids, but added to the mystery - did the statues really come to life or was it another trick? (the mystery is solved in the end) Scooby Doo and his crew have endured since my childhood and their newer movies are still entertaining for kids today.

Scooby-Doo in Mexico

Scooby and the gang take a Mexican vacation to visit friends and find El Chupacabra instead. Of course, the Chupacabra turns out to be the result of special effects by the crooks who want to scare people off their land and purchase the real estate at discount prices. The identity of one of the crooks may surprise you.

This is another in the new series of animated Scooby-Doo movies that are far superior to the old cartoons. The stories are better, the mysteries more involved and there's more interaction amongst Mystery, Inc. members.

If you like Scooby-Doo, then don't pass this up. It appeals to adult fans and kids alike.